Travis Waters has championship boxer written all over him.
In clocking up a 10-0 record as a professional victory, the Sunderland star has mixed skill with power, and he is definitely a welterweight well worth watching.
There is no belt on the line this Saturday, unfortunately, when he chases win number 11 at Rainton Arena, where his management company, VIP Boxing Promotions, stage an eight-fight card.
He will, instead, hope to impress against a fellow southpaw, who will be taking to the ring for the 14th occasion, Artem Pugach, and then have a crack at something big when VIP return to the North-East in the summer.
In a VIP interview, Waters spoke of his frustration that his headline appearance in Houghton is not a more meaningful contest, saying that two prospective Commonwealth title eliminators, against Northern Area champion Tom Hill or 9-1 Trimdon boxer Tom Summerbell could not finalised.
“It’s unfortunate what happened at the start of this camp,” he said. “But we knew if that if nothing got sorted for this time that that’s what we’d be aiming for at the July 26 show.
“Hopefully, we’ll get an early night, have a week or so off then get back in the gym, work hard and get something proper in place for the July show.
“Fingers crossed we’ll get something sorted for then.”
It means Waters is likely to be highly motivated to lay down some sort of marker on Saturday evening against a boxer born in the east of Ukraine but predominately fighting out of Rusian cities Ekaterinburg and Moscow, an odd state of affairs in the current world climate.
Pugach’s record suggests he is a live opponent, winning three and drawing four of his 13 contests.
This will be his third appearance in the UK, having won on his first steps on these shores last November, when he outpointed the previously-unbeaten Lancastrian Max Curtis at Oldham.
Waters says he is looking to build on his last win when he outpointed tough-as-old-boots Costa Rican Jose Aguirre at the Walker Dome in Newcastle in February.
Having set off in rip-roaring fashion, the 28-year-old then settled into some great boxing and was happy to emerge a 60-54 winner.
“I enjoyed that fight, I think it’s the best I’ve boxed in my 10 bouts,” said the ex-Sunderland ABC southpaw, known as ‘Smash Time’.
Click here to watch Travis’s full interview with VIP.
Waters, who trains at the Headland and Wearmouth gyms in Hartlepool and Sunderland under coaches John Stubbs and Anth Kelly, is part of a Tenacity double.
Stablemate Beau Smith will be seeking his fifth success as a professional when he takes on Joe Hardy, from Leeds, a fighter who seems to specialise in going in with unbeaten prospects.
Smith was also in action at the end of February at Walker Dome where he had to contend with the master of defence and survival, Dale Arrowsmith, but still got through with plenty of shots in the four rounds.
Eight bouts are planned though there is no opponent yet for Newbiggin’s Ben Rees.
Sunniside’s Josh Blenkiron (5-0) faces Karl Sampson, from Sheffield, while Sunderland’s Eduard Georgiev and Gateshead prospect Shaun Huddart each have their third pro fights against Eliecer Quuzada and Jake Pollard.
There are two debuts on the VIP promotion, Benton’s Lewis Ginnelly and Steven Raybould, from Stockton.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins
